1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an article of footwear. More particularly, the invention relates to an article of footwear having a removable eyelet portion for fast entry and egress.
2. Description of Related Art
Shoes, particularly athletic shoes, are typically fastened with laces. Laces have long been employed as a relatively simple way in which the width of the shoe may be adjusted, such as by tightening the laces to decrease the width of the shoe or loosening the laces to increase the width of the shoe. This adjustability allows a wearer to slightly customize the shoe for maximum comfort.
Furthermore, laces provide a specific aesthetic appearance for a shoe. Different materials, different colors, and even different lacing configurations through the eyelets allow for customization of the look of a shoe, even a popular shoe.
However, laces are sometimes difficult for a wearer to use, especially if the wearer is a child, arthritic, or otherwise unable to bend easily to reach and manipulate the laces. Children, especially small children, are typically unable to tie their own laces, and tying the small laces provided with children's shoes may prove challenging for the larger fingers of an adult. Additionally, laces loosen and untie over time. This presents a hazard for children unable to re-tie their shoes.
Many shoes have been developed to free children and other people unable or unwilling to handle laces. In some cases, shoes have been developed which eliminate laces or lace-like structures entirely. For example, shoes having only hook-and-loop fastening systems, such as Velcro®, have become very popular for children's and orthotic shoes. While providing the wearer the ability to manipulate the shoe's opening and closing relatively easily, such shoes lack the aesthetic appearance and appeal of shoes with laces. Furthermore, such shoes could be challenging to tighten sufficiently on a foot, as the force needed to pull the hook portion and the eye portion together can prove difficult for a wearer, such as a child or an arthritic adult, to attain.
Several shoes have been developed that combine fastening systems. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,414,761 and 5,027,482 describe shoes with two fastening systems: laces and a hook-and-loop system incorporated into the eyelet region. In these shoes, the laces are tied or otherwise manipulated to adjust the width of the vamp. In the '761 reference, the laces are tied to produce the desired width. In the '482 reference, the laces are pulled then secured by the hook-and-loop system to produce the desired width. The hook-and-loop mechanism is incorporated with the laces so that the eyelet region or a portion thereof may be lifted to manipulate the vamp without adjusting or readjusting the laces. However, in these references, the removable portion of the eyelet region is rotated on the laces. This rotation increases wear on the laces and early breakage. U.S. Pat. No. 5,907,912 describes a similar dual fastening system, although the removable portion of the eyelet region is rotated on a second portion of the eyelet region. However, in the '912 reference, as in the '761 reference, the laces are tied to adjust the width of the vamp. This type of dual system still necessitates tying and re-tying the laces as they loosen over time.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for an article of footwear which does not require the manipulation of a lace or laces to secure the article of footwear on the foot but which retains the look of a laced shoe.